Goat Cheese and Leek Tart
So you like goat cheese, huh? MmmHmmm….so you’re gonna want to make this tart.
I made it a super long time ago when this website was just a little baby website – well, it’s still a baby website but it’s bigger than it was when I made this before. Well I decided the other day I should reshoot the photo cause the other one wasn’t making me want to eat a goat cheese tart.
Obviously to reshoot something I have to make it. Also obviously with 3 dairy goats I have lots of goat cheese, it was an easy decision to make this. I should really be making this often.
I mean a lot.
Really, it should be make like all the time, because it’s SO yummy.
This time I made with my favorite pie crust, Grandma’s Pie Crust, but with a whole wheat flour. I like doing whole grain crusts on savory pies like this one. Originally it had a white flour tart crust with WAY to many steps and I got annoyed just looking at the instructions so I decided to make it a tad simpler for all of us.
I used to not-so-much mind recipes with lots of steps but these days I have other things to do, I want simple. Let’s get ‘er done, right?
So here you go, the simpler version….
By the way, my fireplace is working this morning and that makes me extra happy.
TART CRUST- 1.5 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup butter, chilled and cut into cubes
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons cold water, or as needed
FOR THE FILLING - ½ lb sliced bacon, cut into ½ inch dice
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into ½ inch dice
- 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- ¼ pound chevre at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cups firmly packed basil leaves
- ¼ cups firmly packed fresh flat leaf parsley
- ¼ cup cup of fresh chives (1 inch length)
- ¼ cup firmly packed baby arugula
- ¼ cup chervil leaves (optional)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- balsamic vinegar
- To make the tart crust, place the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and mix together.
- Cut the butter in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles course sand.
- In a small bowl combine the egg, vinegar and water, stir to break the egg up and then add the mixture to the flour mixture. Cut with the pastry blender just until moistened.
- Roll the dough out and place into a pie plate and refrigerate about 30 minutes.
- Once the dough is thoroughly chilled, preheat your oven to 375˚. Place a piece of parchment on the pie crust and some pie weights if you have them, if not dried beans work great.
- Bake the crust about 15 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool while you make the filling.
FOR THE FILLING - In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
- Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan, add the butter and return the pan to medium heat.
- Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring until the leeks soften. Stir in the broth. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the leeks are stewed and tender, about 8 minutes more.
- Uncover, increase the heat to high and cook, stirring often, until the broth has completely evaporated, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mash together goat cheese and sour cream with a fork. Add the eggs, thyme, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Stir in the leeks and the cooled bacon.
- Carefully pour the mixture into the tart shell.
- Bake the tart until the filling is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.
FOR THE HERB SALAD - In a large bowl, toss together the basil, parsley, chives, arugula, chervil (if using), and tarragon. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and juice, drizzle with the oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss again.
- The tart can be served warm or at room temperature with a drizzle of balsamic over each piece.
Adapted from Nordstroms Flavors cookbook
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